


You Belong With Me

by MidoriEmmi



Series: SouMako Week 2014 [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, SouMako Week 2014, You Belong With Me AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 09:42:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2463758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidoriEmmi/pseuds/MidoriEmmi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sousuke finds himself falling for a happily taken Makoto, but can't find it in himself to give up. He just knows one day Makoto will see that he's the only one who understands him, the one who's been there all along and above all else, the one whom he belongs with. Based on You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. For SouMako Week Day 2 on Tumblr. Oneshot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Belong With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Heyhey:) This is my first oneshot on ao3 so I hope I did everything right :o Hope you enjoy this AU with Nerd!Sousuke and Sportsman!Makoto and here's to the rest of SouMako Week! \o/

Their coexistence as neighbours had always been a comfortable one.  
  
Wide, almost floor length windows decorated each of their bedrooms. Only, said rooms were not situated side by side, but instead the exact replica of each other, mirrored in two separate but very close buildings. One could say there were some serious privacy issues to be considered, but frankly, Yamazaki Sousuke would not have it any other way.  
  
His neighbour was pacing the room, speaking agitatedly into his phone...again. That was the third time in a week. Orbs the colour of spring leaves were tinged with confusion and slight annoyance as their owner ran his hand through his already mussed up brown locks for the umpteenth time, gesturing wildly even though his caller wasn't able to see anything. Poor guy must have gotten into another argument with his little boyfriend and was as usual, on the losing end.   
  
Yes, Tachibana Makoto batted for the other team, and many a heartbreak had been caused by that fact.  
  
Sousuke watched the entire spectacle through his large, square-framed glasses. A grand total of 3 minutes and 43 seconds later, Makoto finally sat down on his bed, hunching his shoulders in defeat. He sighed as the call ended, throwing the phone onto his pillow. The brunet looked out the window just then, smiling as emerald green met bright teal.  
  
The raven found the edges of his lips pulling up in reply. He held up his sketch pad.  
  
**_Another fight?_ **  
  
Some time back, when Sousuke caught a nasty cold and couldn't talk for days, Makoto found a sketch pad and a black marker just the thing to solve their communication woes. It proved to be so much more convenient than shouting to each other and they never went back.   
  
The neat script seemed to stun the brunet man a little, but he quickly replied.  
  
**_Yeah. But it's fine now._ **  
  
The scrawl was just as lopsided as the forced smile of the owner. Sousuke had seen that fakeness too many times to be fooled. Uncapping his marker, he wrote.  
  
**_Take care._ **

Makoto mouthed his thanks, even as he wrote them down.  
  
_**Thank you. Good night :)** _

The handwritten emoticon was cute, and so like him.

 _**Night.**_  
  
Makoto glanced at his bespectacled neighbour and schoolmate for just a while longer before he broke eye contact and went about packing up some of his stuff. The other blinked stupidly, then quickly started writing on a new page.  
  
The moment he finished, Sousuke brandished his penmanship much like a knight with his shield...  
  
...to a window with curtains tightly drawn.  
  
Sighing heavily much like what he saw Makoto doing earlier, the teal-eyed man tossed his sketch pad onto his blanket. Taking one last glance at the unseen message, he ran his hands through his hair and then he too started packing for the next day.  
  
**_I love you._ **  
  
...oh well. Maybe he would have better luck next time. He picked out his notebooks for the next day’s lectures, thinking about how it all came to be like this, but before that, found himself turning up the stereo as he dutifully arranged his notes and cleaned up his room. A dance found it’s way into his hips somewhere along the way, and for just a short while, Sousuke imagined being the lead dancer in an all-male idol group.

Peeking out from behind his closed curtain, Makoto could only laugh as he took in his neighbour doing an awkward but confident dance around his room, lost in his own world.

It was funny really, how one Yamazaki Sousuke found himself head over heels in love with his sinfully cute classmate cum neighbour. Their first meeting had been nothing short of normal, when they shook hands for the first time as freshmen in a new university with big dreams and aspirations for the future. Their second meeting was at the gym, when the raven saw a familiar head of brown hair at the corner of his vision, as the other worked out with the ease of a sportsperson. Of course, that meant Sousuke got a full view of those ripped, solid muscles just barely hidden behind a thin layer of tight-fitting gym clothes.

For the first time in his life, he truly understood the meaning of leaving nothing to the imagination.

Their third meeting happened only because Sousuke had been doing some unintentional eavesdropping. A group of girls had gathered around Makoto after a class had ended, and the poor guy was completely trapped, asking the other to go on ahead without him. Some boys a few lockers down were sending jealous glares at the green-eyed boy and whispered among themselves. The raven could honestly care less about their accusatory conversation until one of them mentioned a little more.

“It’s always the Sharks who get all the girls…”

Ah, if only those naïve idiots knew.

Still, that was an interesting piece of information. Wasn’t that the nickname given to starting members of their national level school swimming team?

Sousuke thought back to those times he’d eyed his classmate in the gym and those occasional instances where the other lounged on his bed, top half completely bare in the comfort of his own room. Makoto had the nicest, most developed back muscles among everyone he knew. It was almost embarrassing how he never connected the dots to the fact that the other was in fact a powerhouse of their school team, and a pretty damn good one at that. He’d have to thank Rin for inviting him to their swim meet.

Makoto’s backstroke was flawless, in his opinion, as those muscled arms propelled him forward with enough force to overwhelm his rivals in every other lane. Gosh, was it even legal for someone to look so powerful yet graceful at the same time?

The brunet took the hand offered to him, stepping out of the water just in time for his redheaded teammate Rin to swing an arm around him and congratulate him for breaking yet another record. There were cheers all around and they got even louder as a smaller guy pulled him down and engaged him in a kiss that left everyone within the immediate vicinity a little hot under the collar. But Sousuke was feeling hot for a whole different reason.

Just the sight of one Nanase Haruka pissed him off, and that puzzled even himself.

More than that, the kiss meant the truth was out and it became general knowledge that the university’s backstroke Shark swung the other way, but otherwise things went pretty smoothly. In fact they seemed to have become the unofficial campus paparazzi’s new favourite couple. And as Sousuke stared after the couple’s retreating backs after an elective class one day, he wondered about the weird feeling he got somewhere within him each time he was with Makoto, and each time he saw the other being a little too close to someone else. Their unlikely almost friendship was nothing short of blossoming, and the raven wondered if it was meant to last.

He pondered this feeling still, even as he moved on to the next question in his revision paper. Makoto had been the one to suggest studying together because as capable as he was as a person and as a friend, he wasn’t the fastest learner. Sousuke was just happy it meant he could see more of his friend (classmate, he corrected in his mind) without that annoying boyfriend of his attached at his hip.

“Eto…Yamazaki-kun…”

“Sousuke.”

“…eh?”

Did Makoto have any idea how adorable he looked when he tilted his head like that?

“You heard me. We’ve known each other for nearly a year, just call me Sousuke.” The end of that sentence dissolved into mumbles, as the raven found his nose being buried deeper into his book than it already was. What on earth was he thinking, saying something like that? His brunet classmate chuckled a little, pink dusting the bridge of his nose.

“Sousuke it is then. So um…what I wanted to ask was, do you have a girl you like? Or maybe…a guy?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“W-Well,” he scratched his head, suddenly taking extreme interest in the bookshelf above his neighbour’s bed. “Just curious I guess. I mean I’ve never seen you date nor take interest in anyone.”

Sousuke had never felt more relieved when the other’s phone decided to ring just then, prompting a full 2 minutes of mushy exchanges. At least for the time being, he would not have to explain that he was still deciding his sexuality AND that if he were to have a type it would come in the form of one damn sexy, attractive Tachibana Makoto.

The seasons change, and yet one nerd’s fashion sense stays the same as always. Glasses that hide half his face and a plain sweater paired with equally plain jeans. He’d always liked books and study (with a strict workout routine thrown in), and honestly, he didn’t understand why everyone else had to dress like school was a fashion runway every day of the week. It was far too much trouble than it was worth.

A garden bench was just as good as any other place to study when the weather was right, Sousuke thought. He liked how the casual breeze tousled his short locks at random, and the calm ambience bestowed upon the place by the flora, even if said garden faced the campus road. Light footsteps made him look up, and for a moment, he forgot to blink.

“…Sousuke?”

“…Makoto. What a coincidence.”

Makoto chuckled, the sound ringing in the raven’s ears like a sweet melody. He took a seat next to Sousuke, sighing in envy at the crisp, clean and colour-coded notes. His attire is as attractive as always, even if he chose a pair of old, worn out jeans this time. The brunet values comfort, and he doesn’t hesitate to tell his neighbor about his preference for large, loose older clothes. Sousuke listens, and notes every tiny quirk hidden among the other’s enthusiastic gestures.

It was strange how nothing felt out of place, and how Makoto could probably talk for HOURS on end and the raven wouldn’t even mind.

He saw the twinkle in the other’s lovely eyes, and the way his cheekbones raised themselves when he laughed at his own joke. He saw the way the sunlight caught in the lush, woody spikes framing Makoto’s face, and the way they magically turned into an earthy shade of green at certain angles. The math side of him estimated the exact angle that his eyes drooped, and that was when Sousuke realized he had to look away, for the sake of his sanity.

Their perfect paradise was interrupted by the arrival of a sleek, new car. Sousuke just waved as the other said his goodbyes, taking in sunglasses-clad Haruka from the driver’s seat. Haruka removed them in dramatic fashion, eyes never once leaving Sousuke even as Makoto climbed into the passenger’s seat and got pulled in by his boyfriend in for a kiss. Eyes containing a raging ocean glared into the teal-eyed man’s soul, and Sousuke could still feel the burn long after the couple had driven off.

What on earth was Makoto doing with a guy like that?

A full weekend came and went, and Sousuke tided himself over with the fact that Makoto looked like he had somehow managed to patch things up with his other half. His gym sessions have gotten a little lonely lately, as his usual partner was busy training for the upcoming starter qualifiers. So he was ecstatic when he was invited to sit in at practice, if only for the fact that he could once more see that powerful backstroke.

The coach whistled sharply just then, shouting for all to take a short break, and Sousuke used the time to focus his thoughts once more on himself.

He had tried to get interested in girls, even to the extent of sneaking in a couple of porn magazines and while he did appreciate the models’ ample fronts and filled out behinds, neither the pictures nor the real deal ever gave him the desire his classmates often spoke of. The raw, “manly” want to ravage someone else in ways that would pleasure them both. They even went into intricate details of their nighttime plans and 10 different types of bondage and fetish play later, Sousuke decided to never ever speak to those classmates again.

Yet, when he thought about people he would want to “ravage” as his classmates had so delicately put it, his mind never left that one candidate. Said candidate was also already taken, and happily so. By someone who everyone thought to be his perfect match; the smallest of the starting Sharks and the undefeatable holder of the freestyle position, Ice Prince Nanase Haruka. Well, that wasn’t his official title or nickname per se, the person himself just happened to be cool, emotionless but charming at the same time.

Mysterious, tall (nah not really, thinks Sousuke), and decked from top to toe in branded wear that somehow matched stylishly with eyes that spelled the darkest depths of the clearest waters, it was kind of obvious why Nanase would be considered the one and only for Makoto.

Ah…the reminiscing was making him tired.

Sousuke looked into the mirror, a head of unruly coal black locks sitting atop a face half covered by a large spectacle frame staring back at him. It wasn’t really his fault he didn’t look that good. A deceased relative’s debt had wiped out nearly all his family’s life savings roughly a year ago, leaving their only son to rely on a scholarship to pay his way through school. It wasn’t too difficult keeping up considering he was already kind of smart, but the academic pressures left him little time to socialize or dedicate time to clubs and such.

Just how in the world could he even think that he would stand a chance with Makoto and just why was he even thinking about that? It was not in his morals to go after a taken person but each time he tried to stop himself, to tell himself they were simply not meant to be, something just seemed to tug at him inside, pushing him to cling on.

It was wrong, but it was worse how it actually felt right.

How he cherished every moment his brunet friend showered him with, how he made sure to help him with his studies every time he needed it, how he never missed their cross-building sketch pad conversations no matter how late the hour…

…and how he feels his blood run cold, when he catches Haruka pinning someone else against the locker doors, sucking their face out through eagerly parted lips. Sousuke hides, at least until he stops hearing lewd sounds and the two are finally talking. He strains his ear to listen, and what he hears makes the cold feeling in his veins sharply freeze. Or rather, it is who he hears that makes him wonder how to feel.

“…you’re a really good kisser, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

“Well I guess I’ll see you around then.”

“See you…Rin.”

The verbal confirmation of his suspicion leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, and as silently as he had come, he leaves.

Matsuoka Rin. Freaking Matsuoka Rin. He’d known that guy since they were kids and he was the reason Sousuke even decided to pick the university in the first place. A head of flaming red hair, fiery crimson eyes and sharp aesthetically enhanced teeth to boot, he was a Shark too, and the school team’s favourite butterfly starter. Many were saying that the current captain intended for him to be his successor, and many were also saying that he had been making googly faces at the Ice Prince for some time. Sousuke grabs hold of his childhood friend’s arm just as he exits the locker room right after swim practice ends.

“What th- Sousuke??!” he splutters.

“You swam really well today.”

“Ah…thanks-“

“So how is it going with you and Nanase?”

If it were any other person he had caught his best friend smooching secretly, he would have laughed and teased him to the ends of the earth. As luck would have it, that was not the case, and as Rin’s expressions alternated between embarrassment and mild horror, the raven felt no anger; only an odd sadness.

Makoto was kind, oh so kind. He never spoke bad about anyone. He never let violence solve the problem for him. Each time, he just smiled his signature smile and moved on. Sure, people took advantage of the pure kindness that was Tachibana Makoto, but that same kindness was too a weapon. A weapon that carved his identity out in the school, a weapon that shot straight through the hearts of guys and girls everywhere, leaving them swooning and charmed in his wake.

Sousuke thinks about Rin’s words, about how the other is madly in love with the very same Haruka he so despises. He sees a reflection of his conflicted self in his friend, and that very thought scares him. He could only wish Rin luck back then, that someday he would find the answer he seeked. It was also a reminder to himself, that he too had one he needed to find.

Which is why he is puzzled at his own silence when Makoto knocks on his door at 1 in the morning, beer in hand and with the ugliest smile on his face to date. The raven lets him in, and they talk, chat, drink and confess, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. Sousuke takes a bet, and in the precious moments where there is only him and his green-eyed friend in the room, he lays his whole being bare. He starts telling Makoto about how he worries for his parents who are juggling multiple jobs just so they can get by, about how they are starting to default on medical payments for his ailing grandparents, about how it breaks his heart when he hears the tired, worn voice of his father assuring him that his monthly allowance did not burden them at all. Sousuke always rejects them and takes on a part time job, but it doesn’t make him any less upset that the ones he loves have no choice in the matter.

It gets to the point where he finds his throat being clogged up, when the stress of grades and finances becomes too much. He looks up, afraid that he’s gone too far with his ramblings and that Makoto would leave but instead, he feels this warmth wiping away the wet streaks on the left side of his face. Emerald orbs stare right into glistening teal, half-lidded with pity yet so full of empathy and concern.

Their faces are mere inches from each other, and the raven feels the strongest desire to claim those absolutely kissable lips with his own. The other doesn’t resist, and only when he accidentally knocks over his can of beer does he realize just how close he is to doing something he could possibly regret.

Makoto makes a weird face. He looks relieved, but his eyes linger on the lower part of Sousuke’s face. He looks like he doesn’t mind what just transpired, but he can’t hide that tiny hint of disappointment tugging at those expressive, droopy eyes.

The taller man suddenly remembers the mess on the floor and he quickly grabs a towel, and at the same time catches a glance of a red-faced brunet taking another long swig from his own can.

“…I’m happy you trust me enough to show me that side of you,” Makoto smiles, with the brightness of a thousand stars. Sousuke bristles, looking to the side.

“I’ve always trusted you…”

“Thank you, Sousuke. I trust you too.”

Trust is a very sensitive word, but it doesn’t bother either of them in the least, as Makoto starts his own rambling about his issues with Haruka, how he somehow feels like the flames of their relationship have cooled a little too much for his liking, and how it upsets him. Sousuke is thankful for his high alcohol tolerance, but it doesn’t stop the guilt of hiding what he knows about the little boyfriend having a secret rendezvous with his best friend of all people. He wants to punch Nanase so hard, and Rin too, to some extent. Only, he’s seen just how hopelessly in love his hopeless romantic of a friend is, and he can only wonder about the sudden change in relationship dynamics.

Makoto blabbers on, oblivious to the numerous thoughts running through his neighbour’s mind. He bemoans the fact that Haruka is so attractive and how he always feels so jealous when daring girls (and the occasional guy) try to flirt with him and that HE ACTUALLY FLIRTS BACK, and also how their dates never give him that intense desire for the other anymore. The brunet moves on to their love life, and Sousuke nearly spits out his drink when he hears the word but thankfully there is no elaboration; only Makoto’s sadness and just how he thinks maybe it’s his clinginess and his fault that their bond is somewhat weakening.

The brunet probably doesn’t realize just how his words are making his confidant madder by the second. Sweet sweet Makoto, with a heart that could hold the entirety of the world in it, just how was he so pure? He didn’t even think for a moment that perhaps it wasn’t his fault, that maybe he was giving too much, that maybe Haruka was cheating on him because apparently that sick little bastard had no morals to speak of.

What comes next more than tugs at the raven’s heartstrings, and before the third sob can escape Makoto’s lips, Sousuke is already holding him, a human security blanket enveloping him, protecting a gentle giant with a fragile heart.

Sousuke thinks back to the time he worried about his sexuality, about the time he felt he would rather die than answer Makoto’s embarrassing question. It didn’t matter anymore, at least for now. He takes in his fill of the handsome and kind angel wrapped in his arms, and is sure of two things.

One, that he can no longer lie to himself. He’s already slipped, and fallen flat on his face for one Tachibana Makoto, and there is no looking back for anyone who does.

Two, that he is keeping a secret that could destroy what they have, that could destroy the other’s trust in him but there is just no way he can drop the bomb so suddenly.

The raven sends his neighbour back home, and neither say a word to each other for a few days. There is talk about the upcoming annual dance and some gushing about the Shark couple, but no other topic is of much interest to Sousuke. He is just his nerdy and studious self, even as he’s a gym regular. The combination is queer, for why would he need such physical fitness if he had no interest in joining sports clubs? A picture of Makoto swimming pops into his mind just then, and he remembers. Even if he had no plans to swim or do anything like the brunet did, at least let physical fitness be one thing he would not lose out on.

Makoto’s been stressed. Studies and club activities have been piling up and it doesn’t help that his phone arguments with Haruka have risen in frequency over the past weeks. Sousuke has never seen the brunet so flustered and this close to tearing his hair out. The call finally ends and he is upset enough to throw his phone at the wall, glaring at it for a few seconds. The raven can only pull his lips taut as he holds up his trusty sketch pad when Makoto calms down and looks over.

**_Please take care._ **

There is so much more he wants to say. He wants to ask Makoto why he’s holding on, he wants to ask why he doesn’t just open his eyes and see the signs. But instead he hides it all behind 3 vague words. The brunet forces a tiny smile, and it disappears into a frown as he turns his sketch pad around.

**_I’ll do my best._ **

The swim team starting qualifiers are competitive, and to many in the prestigious club, one could not proudly show himself off as a Shark unless he proved his mettle as an undefeated starting member for the next academic year. Of course, things could change in the middle of the semester, but in an event as showy and public as this, no one wanted to screw up. Sousuke takes his place in the stands, mouth upturned as Makoto yawned for the umpteenth time during his stretching. Pulling all-nighters for the sake of grades aren’t the only reason he isn’t in peak form for the crucial event, and the raven can barely conceal his hate-filled glare at a certain blue-eyed swimmer.

A stunned silence envelopes the arena as Makoto loses his starting position to a junior by the largest margin in the entire qualifier. He yanks off his swim cap and goggles with more force than necessary, and while his expression is calm, Sousuke can just see the raw frustration and defeat blooming in those stunning irises. The brunet is a crowd favourite, and the unexpected turn of events leaves everyone speaking in hushed murmurs.

Haruka is assured his starting spot, as usual, with his Ice Prince demeanour still in place. He sidles up to Rin when the team is dismissed, even as they are within Makoto’s direct line of sight. Sousuke can feel his stomach sink at what he just knows is about to happen, but he forces himself to look.

“Matsuoka Rin. You’re going to the dance with me.”

The freestyle swimmer’s eyes are smirking, and Rin is still too stunned by the other’s daring move to reply. The eyes of the entire school are on them, and the far back rows can understand even if they can’t hear a single thing.

“Haru…” the brunet hesitatingly steps closer, eyes darting between the both of them. “What is the meaning of this?”

“It means…I’m dumping you, Tachibana Makoto.”

“…why…”

“Because I have no use for someone who can’t even qualify as a starting Shark with his trademark stroke.”

He doesn’t react at the violent flinch of his now ex-boyfriend from the venom in his words. Haruka barely even glances back as he attaches himself to Rin’s side. Makoto is trembling, but Sousuke can tell it is not from anger. Rather, it is from hurt and sheer betrayal. Sousuke meets the confused gaze of his childhood friend, but he doesn’t bother with him. All he can think about is how if he had been the one who possessed Makoto’s whole being, he would never do something so cruel.

“…I never loved you.” Haruka continues, from some conversation Sousuke hadn’t been paying attention to.

Makoto looks to Rin, wordlessly begging for everything to be a well-devised prank and nothing more. The butterfly starter doesn’t return his gaze, and his teammate can only stand there as he slowly takes in the fact that everything is as real as it gets.

“But…I did.”

Sousuke can’t even begin to fathom the pain the brunet must feel as his heart probably shatters into a million shards, each tightly embedding themselves in him. Makoto waits for an answer that will never come, and then he walks off briskly, letting no one stop him. His eyes are shrouded by his wet, long bangs, but the raven can imagine them welling up with tears, a dam threatening to burst.

For a full week and a half, the rumours fly. It disgusts Sousuke how some people find no fault with Nanase dumping Makoto so mercilessly, but he doesn’t try to correct them. He does however, make sure to sit beside his friend in each of their shared classes, daring anyone to come forward to taunt the swimmer about his recent breakup.

The two comfortably coexist, though with the annual dance approaching in just days, all the raven can think of is who Makoto could possibly be taking with him to the dance. Or if he was even going to said event.

**_I’m definitely going. But alone._ **

Sousuke downright frowns at the answer he does not expect.

**_Why? And why alone?_ **

He watches as his brunet neighbour writes and repeatedly cancels his answers, eventually having to go through a couple of sheets before he holds up his sketch pad in surrender.

**_I can’t hide anymore, and I don’t want to._ **

Sousuke doesn’t reply at that, choosing instead to stare at Makoto, looking for any sign of a lie. The other can’t even look him straight in the eye, and Sousuke understands that he is still very much in love with his ex. One who doesn’t deserve such dedication and loyalty.

It is one day before the dance, and Sousuke finds himself with Makoto at the olympic pool as the other speeds through the water, switching strokes with each lap. He doesn’t stop until he reaches his physical limit, and hangs onto the side of the pool, chest heaving with effort. The raven thinks all is clear when his breathing returns to normal, but then Makoto suddenly reaches out to punch the water, sending angry ripples into the other lanes.

He yells and sobs incoherently, the double blow far too much for him to handle. Sousuke wants to say something, but he can’t think of anything that would comfort the other in that moment. Makoto calms down after a bit, but he still doesn’t talk. The brunet attempts to leave the pool, but his strength suddenly betrays him and he all but plunges back into the water. Sousuke gasps and finds himself bending down and reaching out his hand in unspoken response. It is taken, and yet long after they return to their respective homes and he has finished his revision for the day, he still feels lonely.

Makoto’s touch lingers, and Sousuke cannot resist pecking the small patch of skin on his hand where he feels it the most.

The raven has always been a loner, and it doesn’t surprise him that no one asks him for company to the largest campus event of the year. Honestly, he would much rather just do something back in his tiny rented apartment, alone and away from the rest of society. The introvert side of him comes on the strongest, but all he can focus on is Makoto in the opposite building bustling about, fixing up his collar and his hair. The brunet has on a blank expression, and Sousuke once more wonders just why he’s forcing himself when there is clearly no need to.

Makoto catches his gaze, and he waves back, pulling out his sketch pad. Sousuke does the same out of habit.

**_You going?_ **

The teal-eyed man scribbles, then holds up his sketch pad in one hand and a green notebook in the other.

**_Nope. Gonna study._ **

The brunet sighs, and he stares Sousuke in the eye as he turns his reply around.

**_Wish you were._ **

They exchange no more words or eye contact, and Sousuke can only wonder if he’s making the right choice. His science notes no longer interest him, and neither does that mystery novel he’s half done with. He goes through the messy stack of papers on his bed, through his math practices and ditched essay roughs. He looks upon the half-crushed “I love you” that he had failed to show to the other, and he wonders why he’s still hesitating and why he even worried in the first place. Sousuke slips off his glasses, stares at the suit hanging in his closet, and then at the wall clock. There are ten minutes to the start of the dance, and he knows he has to make a choice.

Because if Makoto has made his, then he should, too.

Sousuke is late, and the realization fills him with some embarrassment. Random couples and lone wolves dot the outside of the venue, and he can hear the strong beat of the music escaping closed doors. The handle is just there, and he has to keep telling himself that he can’t back out, not anymore. The person he’s here to see is inside, and with a deep inhale, he enters.

The dance is already in full swing, and the open doors disturb the atmosphere, all attention turning to the raven. Sousuke tries to ignore them; he’s afraid, but he holds his head up high and saunters in, towards one person…

…towards Tachibana Makoto.

Makoto is speaking to a group of girls, and he only looks where everyone else does when the music suddenly fades down. He barely catches his jaw as it falls open, for the one everyone else is focused on, the one staring right at him, is none other than Yamazaki Sousuke.

The brunet is stunned at the other’s appearance. He’s only seen Sousuke in spectacle frames far too big for his face, half-heartedly nursing his unruly short hair, wearing an old sweater paired with dark, worn jeans. It is almost as if he is seeing a different person right in front of him, with his flattering coal black formal suit, gel-spiked stylish hair, and eyes the colour of the clearest Caribbean waters unmasked for all to see. How had he not noticed this Adonis who had been with him the whole time? And just why had he decided to suddenly reverse his decision and come to the dance after all?

The girls are swooning, murmuring among themselves.

His questions are thrown to the wind as Sousuke starts moving towards him. Makoto knows it is rude to leave in the middle of a conversation, but he finds his feet moving anyway. The initial shock is gone, and the music is starting to fade up again. And then, he feels his left arm being grabbed from behind.

“…Makoto.”

Makoto turns back, and his breath hitches as he sees Haruka. His ex is as good-looking as always, pulling off his black suit and purple tie like a boss. Rin is nowhere in sight, and the brunet realizes only then that rumours of the redhead eventually refusing the dance invitation are true. The freestyler’s true colours are apparently too much for him to bear. Haruka pulls him close, glancing up and down appreciatively, and with a low whisper proposes getting back together.

The entire school is watching, waiting with bated breath. They are waiting for the fallen Shark to choose. Sousuke has stopped walking, expression betraying none of his emotions. The brunet looks down at the one pressing against him, and then at the one standing just metres from him.

He’s made the first choice, and now he has to make another.

Eyelids flutter shut on emerald orbs, as Makoto takes a few seconds to compose himself. He doesn’t care for his surroundings as he thinks back to all his times in university so far. The first time he met Sousuke, and the first time he asked Haruka out. The times he enjoyed long, deep conversations with Haruka, but also short, sweet sketch pad ones with Sousuke. The times he needed someone to trust, the times he needed a shoulder to cry on, and the times he just wanted someone by his side. He remembers the times he let himself go in the pool, and he sees an outstretched hand in front of him. Makoto takes the hand, and as he lets himself be pulled up, the decision is clear. He opens his eyes.

There is only one person he can imagine making memories of the dance together with, and only one whose hand he can accept to pull him out of his personal pool of despair.

“I’m sorry.”

The taller man gently but firmly moves Haruka’s hands away from him, keeping the other at a fair distance. He doesn’t hesitate as he lets go, and this time, he’s unobstructed as he moves. Sousuke comes forward too, and they stop with a few paces of space between them. The raven slowly reaches inside his jacket, and he unfolds a slightly crumpled note that is ripped on one side.

**_I love you._ **

Sousuke’s heart is in his throat, the beat of his own body much louder than the dance music. He’s tried to think of so many other ways to clearly confess, and this is the one he settles on. He hopes the message is clear, because the way he is right now, he can’t handle doing any explanations. The raven can only watch as a blush blooms across the other’s features, as he too reaches inside his outer coat.

Makoto fumbles, but he finds what he’s looking for and smoothly pulls out a folded piece of paper. He moves a little clumsily but he finally opens it. The brunet holds it up but close to himself to face the other, paper covering half his face.

**_I Love You._ **

The crowd erupts into wolf whistles and cheers, Sousuke taking it as a cue to pull Makoto into his embrace. He doesn’t wait as his lips meet with the other’s, and the new couple share a heated kiss that leaves them both red and panting. Even as they finish their first kiss and the deejays attempt to restore the former atmosphere in the form of a slow song, the raven doesn’t let go. Sousuke lets Makoto rest his head on his own shoulder, and their intertwined bodies melt into a slow dance.

Teal eyes catch ocean blue in that instance, and Sousuke smirks, even as his eyes glare with naked hatred. He takes pleasure in Nanase’s subtle flinch as he loses the staring contest, recalling a similar situation long ago. Only this time, the tables are turned. He tilts Makoto’s chin up, capturing him in yet another kiss, and this time he does not look back to see the ex disappearing into the crowd.

“Hey Makoto,” the raven starts.

“Yes?”

He caresses the side of the brunet’s face with his large fingers.

“You belong with me.”

Said brunet grins, then changes to his trademark close-eyed smile. A genuine one this time.

“…yes. Yes I do.”

It was a long journey to get to where they were, but they did it in the end. Tachibana Makoto belongs with him, and Yamazaki Sousuke would not have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on my personal tumblr blog at https://midori-emmi.tumblr.com


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